Dolni Dvoriste, South Bohemia, Sept 16 (CTK) – A hundred of Czech opponents of Islam blocked the traffic at the Dolni Dvoriste crossing at the border with Austria for almost 30 minutes yesterday, a step the opposition Dawn party initiated to make the cabinet send the army to protect the border against refugees.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) promised that the state would deploy the military if the police failed to cope with the wave of migrants.
South Bohemian police spokesman Jiri Matzner said yesterday they have detained no refugees in the region this week, and only three were detained last week.
Yesterday’s border blockade was organised by the Dawn-National Coalition Party in cooperation with the non-parliamentary Bloc Against Islam.
It started after 18:00, when the participants formed a live chain across the road, and ended shortly before 18:30.
At a preceding meeting, the crowd was addressed by Miroslav Adamec, who heads the Bloc Against Islam south Bohemian branch.
He said the other countries have been closing their borders, while the Czech cabinet is waiting for instructions from Brussels.
“We want our homeland to remain our homeland. We don’t want our children to wear burqas and worship Islam,” said Jana Volfova, chairwoman of the Czech Sovereignty grouping who moderated the protest meeting.
No incident accompanied the meeting except for a verbal conflict between the protesters and members of the Green Party who turned up with banners reading Stop Hatred! and Help People in Need.
The traffic across the border remained fluent in spite of continuing thorough checks of the passing cars by the Czech police.
Dolni Dvoriste Mayor Helena Panska said the situation in the town is calm and no immigrants couls be seen there.
“The locals have welcomed the reinforced border protection,” Panska told CTK.
However, this means no firm security because the police check only one border crossing, while there are many others in the town surroundings, Panska said.
In reaction to the intensifying refugee wave, the Czech police intensified the checks along the Austrian border in south Bohemia and south Moravia, in mid-June and once again this Monday in reaction to Germany’s decision to close its border with Austria.
Czech politicians have said that refugees, most of whom tried to reach Germany via Austria before, may now choose the Czech Republic as an alternate transit route.
For a crushing majority of refugees, the Czech Republic is not the sought-after country of destination.
